Honestly, if you’ve been playing Octopath Traveler: CotC for any length of time, you know the "cleric meta" has always been a bit of a rollercoaster. You have your pure healers, your buff bots, and then you have those weird hybrid units that try to do everything but end up doing nothing well. Then Octopath Traveler Champions of the Continent Alaune EX dropped, and basically everything we thought we knew about party sustainability went out the window.
She's not just another version of the Princess of Osterra.
Most people see a "memory unit" and assume it's just a slight power creep over the original version. That is a massive mistake here. While the original Alaune was a solid scholar with some light and fire utility, Alaune EX is a Scholar in name but a Cleric in spirit—specifically, a BP-generating powerhouse that makes even the toughest Tier 3 fights feel like a walk in the park.
What Actually Makes Alaune EX So Different?
Let's get into the weeds. Most units in CotC are limited by their turn economy. You have three BP (Boost Points). You spend them. You wait. You pray your merchant survives long enough to taunt.
Alaune EX says "no" to that.
Her kit revolves around the Prayer of Purity and the Prayer of Gratitude. These aren't just your standard "heal for X amount" spells. They are channelled stances. When she enters a prayer state, she stops attacking, sure, but the trade-off is almost broken. We are talking about granting BP to the entire front row every single turn. Think about that for a second. In a game where your damage output is strictly tied to how often you can max-boost your skills, having a permanent BP battery in the back row or front row is essentially a cheat code.
It changes the math of the game.
Instead of saving your big nukes for the break phase, you can start lobbing heavy attacks earlier because you know Alaune is going to top you off. It’s a shift from "survival mode" to "total aggression."
💡 You might also like: Stalker Survival: How to Handle the Vampire Survivors Green Reaper Without Losing Your Mind
The Stance Mechanic: A Double-Edged Sword?
It isn't all sunshine and rainbows, though. You have to actually know how to use her stances, or she’s just taking up a slot. When she’s praying, she isn’t chipping away at shields. This is where most players mess up. They park her in a prayer stance against a boss with 30 shields and wonder why they’re hitting the turn limit.
Basically, you have to time it.
You use her to set up the burst. You let her pray while your warriors and thieves are preparing their big hits. Then, once the enemy is broken, you might even swap her out or use her light-based nukes if you’ve built her for damage—though, let's be real, you aren't bringing Alaune EX to be your primary DPS.
Breaking Down the Skill Tree Priorities
If you’re looking at her board and feeling overwhelmed, don't overthink it. Focus on the BP recovery. That is her identity.
- Victory Prayer: This is the one everyone talks about. It restores BP to the front row. It is the reason she is top-tier.
- Healing Prayer: Great for sustainability, but honestly, in the current JP and Global metas, BP is king.
- Light Nukes: She has some decent multi-hit light attacks. They’re fine. They help with shield shaving if you absolutely need her to contribute to a break, but it’s secondary.
The complexity of Octopath Traveler Champions of the Continent Alaune EX comes from her Passive Skills. One of her passives allows her to grant BP to her paired ally just by existing in the back row. This makes her the ultimate "backpack" unit. You can pair her with a high-consumption DPS like Richard or Elrica and they will never run dry.
Why She Isn't Just "Another Healer"
We have Ophelia. We have Rinyuu. Why do we need Alaune EX?
Rinyuu is the queen of "set it and forget it" healing. If you want to never worry about your HP bar again, Rinyuu is your girl. But Alaune EX provides something Rinyuu doesn't: speed. Not literal speed stats, but pacing. By feeding your team BP, she shortens fights. And in CotC, especially in the late-game Soul Weapon farming or the harder Arena bouts, the faster you end the fight, the fewer chances the boss has to wipe your party with a random RNG crit.
📖 Related: Blue Protocol Star Resonance Shield Knight Skill Tree: What Most People Get Wrong
It’s the difference between a defensive wall and a turbocharger.
Equipment and Soul Priorities
Don't slap just any tome on her. You want to prioritize her survivability and her SP pool. Since her prayers drain SP every turn, if she runs dry, the prayer stops. This can lead to a catastrophic failure if you’ve timed your buffs around her BP delivery.
Look for:
- SP Regen Accessories: These are non-negotiable for long fights.
- HP Up Souls: She’s squishy. A stiff breeze in the Embergrounds will knock her out if you aren't careful.
- Speed Tuning: You generally want her acting in a specific order. If she's your BP battery, you want that BP available before your DPS units take their turn, though the stance mechanics usually tick at the start or end of turns depending on the specific prayer.
The Reality of the Gacha: Is She Worth the Rubies?
Look, rubies are hard to come by. Unless you're a whale, you have to pick your battles.
If you already have Rinyuu and a solid cast of healers, you might think you can skip her. You’d be wrong. Alaune EX is one of the few units that stays relevant for years. Even as the power creep introduces insane new attackers, the mechanic of BP battery-ing doesn't go out of style. She is an investment in your account's future.
She makes bad units good and good units god-tier.
Common Misconceptions About Her Role
I see people online complaining that her damage is underwhelming.
👉 See also: Daily Jumble in Color: Why This Retro Puzzle Still Hits Different
"She's a Scholar, she should hit harder!"
Stop. Just stop.
Her character class is a flavor choice based on her lore as a literal scholar and princess. If you try to play her like Cyrus, you’re going to have a bad time. She is a support unit wearing a Scholar's robe. Treat her like a tactical engine. Her value isn't in the numbers that pop up over the enemy's head; it's in the fact that your other units are hitting those 99,999 damage caps every single turn because of her.
Tactical Synergies: Who to Pair Her With
Pairing is everything.
If you put her behind a tank like Fiore EX, you create an immortal frontline that also generates resources. If you pair her with Bargello, you're leaning into a "burst-turn" strategy that can delete boss HP bars in a single break cycle.
The most "big brain" move is using her alongside other memory travelers who have high BP costs. Since she can sit in the back row and still provide value, she's the perfect safety net for your glass cannons.
Actionable Steps for New Alaune EX Owners
If you just pulled her, here is exactly what you should do to get the most out of her immediately:
- Level her to at least 80: You need those primary nodes unlocked to make her viable in level 100 NPC fights.
- Prioritize the "Prayer of Purity" node: Don't get distracted by her offensive spells first. Get the BP engine running.
- Find SP-enhancing gear: Check your inventory for any scarves or dragon scales that offer SP regen. She is an SP hog.
- Test her in the Tower: Go to a lower floor of the Job Towers and practice switching her in and out of stances. Get a feel for the "start of turn" vs "end of turn" effects.
- Don't ignore her A3/U10: If you happen to get lucky with awakening stones, her A3 (third awakening) gives her a massive HP boost which she desperately needs. Her U10 (Ultimate level 10) is also huge for the extra usage and potency.
Ultimately, Octopath Traveler Champions of the Continent Alaune EX is a unit that rewards players who understand the flow of battle. She isn't a "button masher" character. She requires a bit of forethought, a bit of planning, and a lot of SP management. But once you click with her playstyle, you'll find it almost impossible to go back to a team without her. She turns the "grind" of combat into a finely tuned machine of destruction.
Keep an eye on your SP, keep the prayers active, and watch the bosses melt.